Down With Webster, straight from Toronto, Canada made a short, but awesome, appearance on the “Cheap Date Tour” with Forever the Sickest Kids and The Rocket Summer. Their energetic pop, rock, and hip-hop tunes during the Baltimore stop of the tour was an epic win. Tanya Gelman sat down with two of the members to discuss their time on Warped Tour 2009, 99 cents, and bro-ing down.
ST: For the record will you please state your name and what you do in the band:
Tyler: I’m Tyler and I play bass and keyboards
Pat: I’m Pat, I sing and play guitar.
ST: How did you guys come up with the name Down With Webster?
Pat: We really liked the show “Different Strokes” with Emmanuel Lewis Webster and we just wanted to get down with him, so we thought the name was pretty cool.
ST: The new album came out a month ago, what was the biggest influence on that album?
Tyler: Well, it’s the fact that there are seven of us, so it’s seven influences. Seven people times all of their influences, so there’s probably well over 50 or 100 influences on that CD
ST: What about your personal influences?
Pat: Anything from 70s Fusion to 80s Rock, 90s Pop, Hip hop…
Tyler: Yeah, I grew up with a lot of 90s hip hop and grunge, but also classic rock and blues..Everything really. Music was soul, music was feeling.
ST: How does it feel being on the same label as Forever The Sickest Kids, Stevie Wonder, Lydia..
Tyler: I think it’s definitely the coolest label to be on, and I will go on record for saying that. Yeah, when we signed, we were checking out the roster and checking out some other labels and we were like “this is a no brainer, this is awesome.”
ST: Yeah, it definitely has some great talent on it. So, you’ve been on the tour for about 24 hours now, how has it been? Are you already best friends with everybody?
Tyler: Best friends.
Pat: Yeah, they’re great. Everyone on the tour has been so nice to us, we’ve been bro-ing it down in the dressing room.
ST: Bro-ing down? Really?
Pat: That’s what someone said to me. A week ago I heard the term “Bro-ing down”.
ST: You’ve never heard of “bro-ing” down?
Pat: I guess I have, but that’s probably the first time I’ve used it in a sentence right there.
ST: Well, I’m definitely glad I was here for that experience.
Tyler: He’s like a sponge.
Pat: But yeah, we were on Warped Tour with a couple of these bands so we were familiar with them and partied a little bit with them but it’s a different vibe here now that it’s actually a small tour. The family vibe is definitely here.
ST: What are some of your favorite songs to play live?
Pat: Personally, I love playing “Back of my Hand.” I love playing a song of ours called “Grind” which is probably going to be on Volume 2, there’s a big guitar solo at the end so I can jump around and make a mess of myself on stage and it’s really fun.
ST: That’s what music is about. Anyway, if someone had 99 cents, and they could only purchase one of your songs, which one would it be and why?
Tyler: 99 cents, and one song..I’d say…huh…
Pat: I’d say “Back of my hand” because recording it was such a great experience. We got to go into a big studio in Toronto called “Orange Lounge” which is about a nightclub and while we were recording it, we were throwing a big going away party for Warped Tour. So it’s be like: go down, have a drink, talk to some people, get a text message, run upstairs, go do some vocals” and I was just really happy with the way it came out.
ST: That’s so sick. I wish I could do that.
Pat: Yeah, it was awesome.
ST: What about if someone had 99 cents and they could purchase any song..
Tyler: Period?
ST: Yeah, any song. What would you recommend?
Pat: “Birdland” by Weather Report
Tyler: “How Many More Times” by Led Zepplin
ST: What are some of your favorite bands?
Pat: Kings of Leon, Justice..
Tyler: Yeah!
Pat: …3Oh!3, The Roots
ST: Nice. Okay, and last question. Would you rather have a tape-dispensing mouth, or bottle-opening nostrils?
Pat: Tape dispensing mouth…or bottle opening nostrils…I think I know where to go with this question. I would say bottle opening nostrils, BUT, I bought a bottle-opener keychain the other day, so definitely tape-dispensing mouth because I’m always looking for tape on stage.
ST: Exactly, that’s what I was thinking about the tape dispensing mouth.
Pat: Yeah, I always need it to tape down cables and such. [TG]